Willowdale Country Club to close Nov. 1

Willowdale Country Club in Luling will shut its doors Nov. 1, citing a dwindling membership that cannot support the club's operations, club officials said Thursday.

The Luling club's stockholders will consider a purchase offer from an investor group on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at the clubhouse, President Dwain Fuselier said. Active and inactive stockholders are invited.

"The club has no place to go," Fuselier said Thursday, saying the families who live in the subdivision tend to be younger and more focused on their children's activities than on golf, and that a slow economy has taken its toll.

The troubles of the 40-year-old Luling club mirror those of others in the area.

Belle Terre Country Club in LaPlace re-opened in September under new ownership after a short closure caused by similar financial problems.

Colonial Golf & Country Club in Harahan is on the auction block after a years-long struggle to stay afloat.

Ormond Country Club in Destrehan faced difficulties because of high debt and declining membership last year, but is currently under new ownership that took over on Oct. 15.

Fuselier met with St. Charles Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr. on Thursday to inform him of the club's status.

"Because it's a private entity, there's not much we can do to help," parish Chief Operating Officer Rusty Walker said.

Parish Councilman Shelley Tastet, whose district includes the club, said tough economic times have taken its toll on the club.

"When you're cutting expenses, that's the first thing that's going to go," he said. "I hope they can keep it going as a club because it adds to the community."

Fuselier said the club's membership had been in the 200-to-300 member range several years ago, and it surged to 450 in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina because most courses in New Orleans were closed.

But membership began to drop, and the club was forced lay off its greens superintendent.

"We got some very good advice, but the greens did start to decline, and we don't have the amenities for the non-golfer that we used to have," he said.

Ricky Bosco, who heads the group of more than 60 investors that took control of the Ormond club, said the new owners plan to change the name of the club to encourage residents from all over the parish to join.

"We want to make this a club where people on both sides of the river can enjoy," he said. "We shouldn't be split by the river anymore. We have 55,000 people in this parish. We should be able to make this work."

Bosco said he hopes that members of the Willowdale Country Club will join the Destrehan club should that club close for good.